Unexpected Company
by KCSonic119
Summary: A sad young woman and a traveling stranger meet by chance one night. Follow the tales of a Mermaid with a thirst for adventure and a Pokemon Trainer from the other side of the world. (Ariel x OC) Rating may change. Slight AU for Pokemon, major AU for Little Mermaid.


Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters mentioned in this fic, except my OC, KC. This was co-written by thedisneyygirls on Tumblr. You can find a link to her Tumblr on my profile.

I use the idea that all of there universes exist on one planet, but it's a BIG world, so some places have things that others don't, like Pokemon exist on one side, but say, the world as we know it is on the other side, where Pokemon don't normally venture. So, it's slightly AU for Pokemon. The Little Mermaid is majorly AU.

* * *

"God, I'm so stupid." Ariel sat down on the steps in front of her apartment and buried her tear drenched face in the palm of her hand. "So much for being best friends ."

KC walked down the unfamiliar street, keeping one hand in his pocket so he could reach for a pokeball in case he needed it. He noticed a young lady sitting with her face in her hands, causing him to slow.

"Hey, are you alright?" He asked before he realized that was obvious. "Sorry, stupid question, but a knee jerk one nonetheless." He explained, rubbing the back of his neck. Ariel looked up and saw someone standing over her. She wiped the tears from her cheeks and felt her face get hot.

"Umm.. Yeah I- I m fine, totally." She looked down and tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear.

KC could easily tell that was a lie.

"Well, any way I could cheer you up?" He questioned softly, thinking of releasing one of his partners to show her. He wasn't sure how the girl would react though. Ariel shrugged her shoulders.

"You could try, what do you have in mind?" She stood up and brushed herself off. She didn't want to be sad over petty things anymore and hoped that whatever he was going to do would keep her mind off of things. KC gave her a small grin.

"How do you feel about animals?" He smiled, pulling out one of his favorite pokeballs. Ariel's face lit up.

"I absolutely love pets! But what is that little ball you have?"

"Something you d never believe." He answered cryptically, tossing the ball high into the air, away from the girl. "Padfoot, come on out!" He cried as a Tyrantrum appeared in a flash of white light, landing on the empty street. He let out a powerful roar before turning to his Trainer, only giving a passing glance to the young woman. Ariel jumped and placed a hand over her mouth as she let out a squeal.

"That s so cool!" She tilted her head as she looked at the animal. When the animal roared she let out a yelp and hid behind her new friend.

"He won't hurt me, will he?" She whispered. KC couldn't help but laugh at her reaction, but not in a way to make fun of her. He turned towards her as Padfoot leaned his head down next to him.

"Nah, he's a big softie, he could never really hurt anyone." He told her, patting the dinosaur-like Pokemon s neck. Padfoot let out a rumbling sound, nudging the teen with his head.

"Oh! I never asked your name." He exclaimed, putting his hand forward. "I'm KC, and it s a pleasure to meet you."

Ariel shook her head. "Psh, of course I knew that." She blushed slightly then looked up at him. "My name is Ariel, it's lovely to meet you as well, KC." She held her arm out then shook his hand.

KC's smile became even wider. Turning to Padfoot, he patted the Pokemon's neck twice, making him lean down. KC shot Ariel a wide grin.

"Wanna go for a ride?" He offered, already swinging a leg over his partner's neck.

"Yes! A thousand times yes!" Ariel giggled and briskly jumped on the animal. She didn't know what to hold on to, so she just wrapped her arms around KC, hoping that she didn't cross some kind of boundary. KC was thankful Ariel couldn't see his face, which was sporting a tomato red blush. Grabbing tightly to the white mane, he nudged Padfoot's neck with his heels, causing the Tyrantrum to start walking forward at a slow pace. Padfoot knew his trainer liked to go fast, but he would wait for the signal to speed up, once the girl was adjusted to her liking.

Ariel grinned as she felt her hair being lifted up a bit by the breeze. She closed her eyes and felt herself becoming more comfortable with the walk.

"This is amazing." She squeaked. Looking over his shoulder, KC gave a small smile.

"Yeah." He muttered distractedly. He turned forward once again, giving Padfoot a slightly harder nudge, causing him to go into a slight run. Ariel looked all around her as the objects seemed to blur. She was having a lot of fun and it almost made her forget about her problems. The trio soon came upon the beach, the Tyrantrum slowing down so he didn't lose footing in the sand. With a huff of annoyance, Padfoot slowed to a stop and leaned down. KC grudgingly removed Ariel's arms from around him, hopping off and offering her his hand.

"Hope you re not afraid of water." He smirked lightly.

Ariel grabbed KC's hand and slowly climbed off of the animal. She laughed a little at his comment. "Water is one thing I'm not particularly afraid of, and you'll see why soon enough." It had been a while since Ariel was at the beach and she had forgotten about how calming it could be. She walked toward the water, each step getting quicker and quicker. She couldn't wait to step into the water and show who she really was.

Chuckling to himself, KC returned Padfoot to his pokeball, drawing another in the process. Taking a running start, he chucked the ball towards the ocean on the side of Ariel, causing his Lapras to come out with a splash. The Transportation Pokemon let out a joyful, song like cry as KC fell into step with Ariel.

Ariel watched KC throw another ball into the water as another creature came out. She smiled then continued in the general direction of the water. She stopped at the edge of the dry sand and began to take of her shirt and pants, not wanting to get them wet. She dropped them in the sand then finally she skipped into the water and went under. She felt her legs begin to tingle and mold together into one emerald tail. She peeked her head out of the water and swam as close to the shore as possible. She found a small rock island and climbed up on top of it with her body exposed. "Look, KC!" She yelled and waved her hand.

At first, KC had blushed so bad, it felt like his face had caught fire, as he watched the girl remove her clothes. He sent a slight glare at Ness, his Lapras, when he heard what could be the equivalent of chuckling from the Pokemon, so he had missed Ariel going into the sea. But his jaw nearly dropped into the sand when he saw that Ariel had a tail instead of legs.

"I, um, oh, wow." He stuttered out, walking slowly onto Ness's back without taking his eyes off the newly revealed mermaid. His Pokemon seemed to know where his trainer wanted to go, so the duo was swept over to the rocky outcropping.

Ariel got a bit embarrassed as she noticed him staring so she started twirling her finger through a strand of her bright red hair.

"So, what do you think?" She asked with a grin. KC shook his head, snapping out of his daze.

"Well, I mean, I think the fact that you re a mermaid is awesome!" He exclaimed, his face heating up a bit more. "And you're really pretty." He muttered shyly, looking up at the moon above them.

Ariel giggled, "It's something I've always been able to do. I've just never really told anyone." She blushed at his compliment and grinned widely. "Thank you. You're not so bad yourself." She gave a happy sigh and looked down at the water. KC started at that.

"Well, I'm honored to be in the know." He said, his wide smile sharing his face with the bright red blush from her compliment. He laid against one of the spikes on Ness's shell, glancing between the stars, ocean, and amazing girl he stumbled upon.

Ariel reached her hand into the water and traced tiny circles, she watched the little waves ripple then die out. She placed her fin back in the water and moved it around before fully submerging herself. She swam in slow circles around KC. It felt good to be back in the ocean, she had been without the water for so long, she forgot how amazing it was. Ariel slowed down and climbed back on top of her rock.

"Hey, KC?" She twiddled her thumbs nervously then just came out and said what was on her mind. "I'm glad you found me today."

KC blinked twice, a blank look on his face before he broke out another smile.

"I m glad too," He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck again as his face became somber. "Although, i'm not happy that you were upset. If it's alright with me asking, why were you so down?" He asked as he removed his shoes and socks, rolling up his jeans before dipping his feet in. He shivered slightly, but the water felt nice against his skin.

Ariel bit her lip, "Well you see... I got in a fight with my best friend and she said some really mean things to me. It was really bad, now I guess we're not friends anymore." She shrugged, "I mean, I'm used to it now I guess. Girls have always been cruel to me, I had to learn that the hard ways I guess. I grew up with 6 other sisters and being the youngest wasn't always a walk in the park."

KC frowned at that: He knew, from his friends back home and those he had met on his strange adventures, that people could be inexplicably cruel to others.

"Ya know, they're probably just jealous of you. I mean, you're this awesome girl, with fiery red hair and eyes you could get lost in..." He trailed off, blushing. Clearing his throat, he continued. "'The circumstances of ones birth are irrelevant. It is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are.' I don't know if that exactly applies, but just because you're different from others, doesn't mean you're any less important, or give them any right to say mean things about you." He explained, looking to the moon, as he knew the one he borrowed the quote from did.

Ariel sighed and bit her lip. "I know, I try to remind myself that I am important and whatnot but sometimes I just let things get to me too much."

"I can understand that. I tend to let things dig a little deeper with myself as well, even if I don t show it." He told her, slightly adjusting his cap a bit. Ariel ran her hands through her hair then smiled a little.

"Hey, how bout we talk about something less sad." She placed a finger on her chin and thought about something else. "I have an idea, why don't we go and get some hot chocolate or something? It's kind of chilly out here." KC perked up at that.

"How'd you know I was a sucker for hot chocolate?" He teased, his eyes dancing with mirth. "Not to be rude, but how long will it take your fin to become legs again?" He asked, honestly curious.

The girl giggled, "It was just a lucky guess." Ariel jumped in the water and floated in front of him for a bit. "Oh, It turns back whenever I want it to. I've learned to control that part of it. It would suck if I had to wait for it to dry."

"Alright, then the hot chocolate is my treat." He grinned as Ness swam back towards shore. When they had reached the beach, he gave the Lapras a pat before recalling him to his pokeball. "Any place you had in mind?" He questioned as he put his socks and sneakers back on.

"If you say so." Ariel quickly swam back to shore and waited for the tingling in her legs to stop before putting her jeans back on. "I know someone that works at this little cafe called Dulce: It has the best hot chocolate ever," She paused and then slipped her shirt on. KC blushed once again as Ariel redressed, almost missing what she said.

"Oh, ah, ok! You lead the way then." He smiled, offering his arm out to her. Ariel nodded and reached for his hand. She walked slowly through the sand to make sure that her feet didn't sink in. She gave a sigh of relief as they finally reached the sidewalk.

The smile on KC's face could have lit up the night. It had been a while since he had spent too much time with someone other than his Pokemon team. As much as he loved them all, the need for social interaction was a strong one. Spending time with such an awesome person was even better.

As they approached the cafe Ariel pointed to it. "There it is, my favorite place." She looked over at KC and gave him a big grin. "Let's go inside." Releasing her hand, KC grabbed the door and pulled, allowing her to go first.

"After you, my fair lady." He said, smiling as he gave an over dramatic bow. Ariel couldn't help but laugh at how cute he was being. She walked through the door but not before giving a grand curtsy and a smile. Pulling out a chair for her, he gave a laugh of his own.

"My dear, you honor me by blessing my eardrums with such a sweet melody." He told her, moving to his own spot after making Ariel comfortable. He gave a quick once over to the cafe with a smile. "It's a very nice place here. I'm surprised they're open at night."

Ariel blushed and played with a strand of her hair. "They're, um.. they're open twenty- four seven, I didn't believe it either at first, but they always have someone in here." She tried to regain her composure but she felt a bit flustered. Noting her blush, KC gave a softer smile.

"Wish there was a place like this back home. Usually most places close during the night, and judging by the heavenly scent in the air, they're not as good as this place either." He commented. Ariel tilted her head a bit.

"Where exactly are you from?" She asked curiously.

"Actually, I'm from the Kanto region, which is on the other side of the planet. I've been traveling the world for a while now." He explained, smiling a bit at the memories of other people he had met so far, like that boy, Dipper, back in Gravity Falls, Oregon.

"That must be really exciting," Ariel beamed, "Imagine all the things you could find, and all the new things you could learn!" She had always collected things from any place she ever traveled but she had never thought about the whole world. "You must never get bored of it, huh? I know I wouldn't."

"It really is exciting, seeing all the different cultures, all these places, the people. It's wonderful, if not a bit lonely at times. I mean, I have my partners, but sometimes I miss seeing people." He mused, picking up a small menu. "Bored? Never. It's always just one big adventure."

"That sounds so wonderful." Ariel let her thoughts linger a bit and looked down at the menu in front of her. She didn't have to look at it to know what she wanted: those were the perks of being a regular.

"It's like that saying: It's not about the destination, it's about the journey. I don't know where I'm gonna end up, but I'll enjoy the time spent getting there. Especially a time like this." He told her with a small smile, a light blush dusting his cheeks. "So, um, how do I order a hot chocolate?" He grinned sheepishly.

"That;s very sweet of you to say. I know I'll never forget about this." Ariel looked up towards where the cash register was at and saw a waitress coming their way. "You just give the waitress your order, silly." KC gave an embarrassed chuckle, turning and placing his order.

"I won't ever forget this either." He admitted, unaware as he lightly touched Ariel's hand.

Ariel ordered her hot chocolate and looked back at KC. She noticed his hand and batted her eyelashes at him and smirked. She was thinking about how bad the circumstances were for her earlier that night and how meeting an amazing person made her happy. She wondered what would have happened if he hadn't stumbled upon her.

KC blushed a bit more with a smile. He was more than glad he decided to come to this town. Or maybe it wasn't even just by chance. No matter the reason, he was beyond happy that he had stumbled upon Ariel.

When the waitress came back with their drinks Ariel took a swift drink, hoping it would warm up her body a little bit. She looked up eagerly at KC and demanded to know what he thought. "How do you like it? Is it everything you hoped it would be?"

Taking a small sip, KC allowed a pleasantly surprised look onto his face. Nearly downing half of his own drink, he remembered the question. When he put down the cup, he had a chocolaty mustache on his upper lip.

"This is the best hot chocolate I've _ever_ had! He exclaimed, not overtly loudly, a smile threatening to split his face in two. Ariel grinned and clapped her hands.

"I knew it!" She noticed his chocolate mustache and giggled. "Umm KC, sweetie, you've got a little something right there." She pointed to her upper lip to show him. Trying to look down at his lip for a few laughs, the teen smiled as she giggled. Feeling a bit daring, he leaned a bit over the table.

"Think you could get that for me?" He asked with half lidded eyes, a small smirk giving away his amusement.

"I don't have a napkin, well I'll just wipe it away with my thumb or something." Ariel leaned in the rest of the way and swiped away the chocolate mustache with her thumb. She felt herself lingering in the middle of the table and somehow her hand ended up on his cheek. "I.. um.."

"Yeah?" KC inquired quietly, his bravery having fled and now he was nervous, and curious, of where this was going to go. Unconsciously, he leaned his face a bit more into her palm, blushing even worse.

Ariel didn't know what she was going to do but she had some idea. She only hoped that she wouldn't spoil things. Ariel leaned in slowly towards KC and shut her eyes. The gap between them had closed with a kiss.

KC's eyes widened at first, not honestly expecting that. But his eyes quickly slammed shut as he returned the kiss, gently pressing back against her lips. His hot chocolate sat forgotten, his brain almost shutting down in joy.

Ariel felt herself smiling into the kiss. In that moment she knew she had made the right decision on what to do. She gently pulled away but still met him halfway on the table. KC nearly fell back into his seat, a goofy grin on his face as he looked at her.

"Well, that was amazing." He said, his eyes almost glowing with joy. Ariel touched her lips with her finger. She was still in partial shock.

"That was wonderful." She said with a radiant smile. KC slowly sat down, picking up his hot chocolate and taking a small sip.

"Thanks." He said simply with a smile. "For making this one of the best nights on my journey so far. I think i ll stick around for a while." Ariel sat back in her seat and smiled.

"It was my pleasure. I hoped you would, there's beautiful sights to see here." She drank some more of her hot chocolate.

"Well, perhaps you could give me a tour?" He asked, but his smile quickly diminished as a thought came to him. "Crap. I don't have anywhere to stay tonight." He realized, frowning slightly into his cup.

"I'd love to give you a tour. And there's room at my house, well apartment. It's only one bedroom but I'm sure we could figure something out." Ariel lifted the cup to her lips and drank the rest of her hot chocolate.

The smile on KC's face could have rivaled the sun with how bright it was. He finished off his hot chocolate and pulled out his wallet, putting the right amount, plus a nice tip, on the table.

"You have no idea how much I appreciate that. I love camping out as much as the next guy, but I prefer the indoors. And I could always sleep on the couch or something, it s no big deal. I also have a sleeping bag with me." He lightly patted his bag.

"Yeah, it s no problem: it's the least I could do. I mean you bought me coffee, this is me returning that favor." She stuck her tongue out. "That'll be okay if you're fine with it. We should get going." She got up out of her chair and scooted it back in. KC stood as well, pushing his chair back in before following Ariel outside.

"Ya know, I've been curious about this all night. How come you aren't wearing shoes?" He questioned. Ariel had a bit of trouble trying to silence her laughter.

"Out of all the questions." She shook her head in amusement. "I don't wear shoes because, well, it's easier when I want to go mermaid and I don't know what else really, shoes just never grew on me."

"Well shoes never grew on me either. I had to put them on every morning." He joked, a playful grin on his face as he followed Ariel back to her apartment.

"Ha ha, you're so clever, you know what I meant." She looked over at him and stuck her tongue out. "We're almost there."

"I know, I'm a riot, aren't I?" He smiled, letting out a huge yawn before he could stop its escape.

"You're hilarious, now come on." She tugged on his arm as they had reached her apartment. She led him up a couple of stairs and reached in her pocket and fumbled around to try and find her key. As soon as she found it she unlocked the door and led KC inside. "It s not much but it s all I have." KC gave a few glances around the apartment.

"It s nice, and I'm honored to be allowed to stay here." He smiled, giving Ariel a one armed hug.

"Don't mention it." Ariel replied and hugged him back. "So, umm, the couch is right there, make yourself comfortable. My room is upstairs and there is a bathroom right there." She pointed to the small room under the stairs.

"Alright, thanks!" He said happily, quickly dashing to the bathroom so he could change into some pajamas.

'Ya know, she's really nice to let me stay here. I gotta see if there's anything I can do to help her out.' He thought as he slipped a long sleeved shirt on.

After a few minutes, he emerged with a grey shirt and black pants on. Walking over to the couch, he carefully put his bag down as he sat. He gently removed the egg that was inside, pulling it into his lap while lightly rubbing the top.

Ariel quickly retreated to her room as KC went into the bathroom. She went over to her dresser and picked out a pair of her matching polka dot pajamas. She took her pants off and replaced them with the warm material. She did the same with her shirt but took her time to button it up. She wasn't sure if she should go back down stairs or not.

'Okay I'll just peak my head out and if he's sleeping i'll come back up and if not then i ll go downstairs.' She thought. Sticking to her game plan Ariel went down a couple of stairs and peeked at him to see what he was doing. She noticed that he had something in his hands. "What's that?" She asked, as she headed down the stairs.

KC was slightly startled when she asked. He was so out of it, he hadn't heard her come back.

"Oh! This is a Pokemon Egg! I actually found it a while ago, but here on this side of the world. Since Pokemon are so few and far between over here, and the nest I found it in looked abandoned for a while, I decided to bring it with me." He explained as he stood, holding the egg with both hands, since it was nearly the size of his head. "Pokemon eggs usually hatch by trainers keeping them as they walk. No one is quite sure why, though there is research into it."

"Hmm.." Ariel tilted her head and observed the egg. "Do you know what kind it will be? Or is it like a surprise?"

"I honestly don't have a clue. Since all Pokemon are hatched from eggs, there's almost 700 different ones it could be, not even counting legendary ones. But as far as anyone knows, there aren't any legendary eggs." He smiled, lightly stroking the egg. Looking back at Ariel, he tilted his head. "Would you like to hold it? It s actually kind of heavy to be honest though."

Ariel bit on her lip. "I would love too but I don t want to kill it, I'm notorious for being clumsy." It wasn't a secret that Ariel wasn't exactly the poster child for good balance, ever since she was little she would break things because of how much of a klutz she was. She certainly did not want to break the egg.

"Why not sit with it then?" He offered, nodding to the couch. He gingerly sat down, giving her a smile. "I trust you." He said simply.

Ariel nodded and sat down on the couch. She cupped her hands and waited to be handed the egg. KC smiled as he carefully gave it to her. He stretched his arm over the back of the couch, his hand resting on her shoulder. Ariel held the egg the began to pet the top of it.

"Okay, this isn't so bad." She stated with a triumphant smile. KC laughed a little at that.

"Yeah, but imagine having to carry it around with you every day, in a bag that sits over your shoulder." He explained, rolling his shoulder for emphasis. "I'm not complaining, it just gets heavy after a while." He grinned. The thought of having to actually do that made Ariel nervous.

"I don't think I could ever do that, I wouldn't be able to get anything done. I would be thinking about possibly breaking it the whole time."

"I can understand that. Of course I m always careful, but thankfully Pokemon eggs are sturdier than normal ones." He explained. "But honestly, I wouldn't give up the egg for anything. A Pokemon raised from hatching is pretty much bonded to you for life."

"That's cute." Ariel smirked as she kept petting the egg. "So you ll have a companion for life. Hmm.. I just wonder what it will look like."

"Well no matter what, I'll always keep him or her with me." He smiled. He carefully scooted closer, enjoying the peace of having Ariel for company. Ariel smiled at his comment and nuzzled herself closer to him, finding comfort in his warmth. She had to give KC major props for taking the responsibility of caring for the egg. Most of the guys she knew probably would not have done that in a million years.

KC blushed a bit, pulling Ariel closer and leaning down. He placed a gentle kiss on her cheek before he rested his cheek on her head. Ariel smiled and gently closed her eyes. She never wanted this moment to end, she felt at home in KC's arms. Unknown to Ariel, KC's thoughts were running along the same line. Unfortunately for the two, the moment shattered when a resounding crack echoed through the apartment.

"What the?!" KC exclaimed, his head twisting every which way, until his gaze landed on the egg, which had a large crack on the top. Ariel looked down at her lap and gasped.

"Oh no! I broke it, didn't I? I'm sorry KC! I- I don't know what I did." Ariel looked frantically between both him and the egg. KC couldn't help but laugh at her reaction. He pressed a kiss to her cheek while she was looking at the egg.

"You didn't break it, it's ok." He reassured. Watching as the egg bounced a bit in her lap, he lowered his voice to a whisper. "You re getting to watch a Pokemon be born, in a sense." He explained, smiling as a small, silvery beak pierced the top of the shell.

"Oh.." Ariel laughed at herself with a slight blush grazing her cheeks. "I knew that, of course." She grinned down at her lap and waited for the Pokemon to come out of the shell.

"Come on out." KC whispered to the egg, causing the shaking to increase. "You can do it." He encouraged, watching as a small, silver head pushed its way out into the world. A small bit of eggshell was hanging off of a silver spike on the top of its head.

"It's a Skarmory, the Armor Bird Pokemon." KC explained to Ariel, watching as the chick pushed its steel wings up through the gap, stumbling a bit as it blindly fell into KC's lap. It let out a few chirps of confusion before it opened its eyes for the first time, revealing them to be a bright yellow color.

"Hey there, little Skarmory." KC crooned as he gently picked it up, careful to avoid the sharp, blade like wings as he lifted the Pokemon to eye level. "I'm KC, your trainer." Noting the head spike was longer than others, he knew it was a boy.

Ariel placed her hands over her mouth as she giggled. She could not get over beautiful the Pokemon looked. She grinned and looked over at KC, who had just picked up the little Pokemon.

"This is so cool, it's so cute." She tilted her head a little to get a better look at the little Skarmory.

"He is, isn't he?" KC mused, laughing as the baby nipped at his cap. Turning to Ariel, he turned the Skarmory chick as well, who gave a few happy chirps.

"This is Ariel, a friend." He explained, watching as the chick curiously looked at his companion. He placed him, careful of the talons, onto his lap so he could gently pet his head.

"You can pet him too, if you want. Just be careful: even a newly born Skarmory's blades are sharp, so avoid the wings and the tail." He warned as the Skarmory gave a few delighted chirps, leaning into his hand.

"Of course, I'll try and be careful." Ariel gently placed her fingers on the Skarmory's head and petted him. "Hey little Skarmory, you're so precious." Ariel smiled. The baby gave a happy chirp, leaning into her touch. KC smiled softly, happy that he got to share this moment with someone precious. Ariel smiled up at KC as she pet the Pokemon. "Thanks for giving me the opportunity to see this. It was beautiful."

"Yeah, it was. Only slightly less beautiful than you." He blushed bright crimson at that. _'Bad mouth! That was supposed to stay inside my head!'_ He thought, his face feeling like it was on fire. Ariel blushed and then tilted her head towards him and gently placed a kiss on his lips.

"Thank you kind sir." She whispered after she broke away.

KC s blush seemed to turn up a notch, but the smile on his face couldn't get any brighter. He sent a mock glare at the Skarmory, who's chirps almost sounded almost like snickers.

"You're welcome, and it's true." He replied. Turning to the chick on his lap, he tilted his head slightly. "Now, what to name you, little one?" He mused. Ariel looked down at the bird and placed a finger on her chin.

"Hmm.. What about Feathers? That's nice, right?" Ariel shrugged her shoulders but continued to think about what names would suit the Pokemon.

"It's a cute name for sure." KC replied, idly rubbing Skarmory's head at the same time. "Nothing against that, of course, but it doesn't sound... tough enough, I guess?" He explained carefully, hoping he didn't offend her.

"I'm not good with tough names, I think you're on your own there." She smirked, then looked down at Skarmory. "I m sure you would tell us what you wanted to be called if you could talk huh?" Ariel lightly laughed and shook her head.

KC relaxed a bit at that, thinking.

"Hmm, how about Slade?" He asked the chick. Skarmory only shook his head, indicating no.

"Blade?" Shake.

"Slayer?" Shake.

"Hedwig?" He seemed to consider it for a moment, but shook his head again.

"Fawkes?" The Skarmory let out a happy trill at that, nuzzling KC's hand. "Alright, then Fawkes it is." KC grinned, glad he had picked up that book series back home before he came across the world.

"That's a nice name, it definitely suits him." Ariel grinned and looked down. "I have a question though, do you put him in one of those balls like you did to the other ones?" She asked curiously.

"Yeah, I'll end up doing that soon. As smart as he is, he's still only a baby, so he's gonna want more attention than my other Pokemon." He explained as Fawkes jumped off his lap, going over to investigate his bag.

"The others won't get jealous because they all know they're all equal to me. They'll eventually put Fawkes in line if he demands too much attention after too long though. We're all pretty much just one, big, happy family." KC smiled, leaning closer to Ariel, his arm wrapping around her waist.

"They're kind of like his big brothers in a sense right? I'd like to think of it that way. How many of them do you have?" Ariel looked down and played with the ends of her hair.

"With me? I have 5 others, including Ness and Padfoot." He said, referring to the two she had already met. "One of the others I have with me, along with Padfoot and Ness, I can't release here in the apartment: they're too big." _'And one has a tail that's always on fire.'_ He thought to himself. "The other two would be alright, but it'd be really cramped, not that I would mind having to hold you closer." He grinned, laughing as Fawkes stuck his whole head in his bag.

"Back home, I have quite a lot, and to be honest a lot aren't originally mine. I've met a lot of other trainers back on the other side of the world, and we've traded Pokemon for various reasons: the Pokemon got along better with the other trainer, or they just wanted to stay with someone on their team."

"Wow, I didn't know you could trade them, I just though that once you had them they were yours forever or something." She remarked but continued to listen to him. Ariel adjusted herself so that she was halfway on his lap with her legs stretched out in front of her.

"It depends on the trainer really. I don't like trading mine away too often, but if someone can meet their needs or make them happy, and I could do the same for theirs, then I ll do it." He said softly, wrapping both arms around her waist.

"That's sweet, you re like giving them their best chance." Ariel rested her head on his shoulder.

He let a soft smile come over his features as a thought came to him. "Plus, if I happen to pick up strays, I don't have the heart to turn them away. My family has a lot of open land at home, so they help watch the Pokemon I can't bring with me."

"It's nice of you to take them in like that, every Pokemon deserves a good home. Just like any dog or cat does."

"Yeah. They're my family away from home." He muttered, a yawn escaping him at the end. He laughed lightly when he saw Fawkes hop into his bag, curling up to nap on his clothes. Sleepily, KC kissed Ariel's forehead, halfway dozing off.

Ariel closed her eyes for a while, not wanting to move from KC's arms but deciding that they should both get some sleep because they would have a long day tomorrow. "KC, sweetie, I think I m going to go to bed."

KC let out a groan, almost like a whine. "But I'm comfortable." He mumbled, his eyelids feeling like lead weights.

Ariel smiled and kissed his cheek. "Do you want me to stay with you then?" She asked as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Yes please." He muttered, nuzzling into her fiery red hair.

"Okay." Ariel moved as close to him as she could and hugged him.

As KC finally slipped into sleep, the last coherent thought that crossed through his mind was _'__I'm so lucky.'_ A small smile was on his face as he drifted off.

* * *

Well, I have no idea when the next 'chapter' will be coming out. Please, review and such.

Also, while I referenced Harry Potter as a book series, that doesn't mean that Harry Potter doesn't actually exist in this universe. Just on the Pokemon side of the world, there aren't many wizards.


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